WHC’s EmptyNesters kick off their author events for 2021-2022 by welcoming Daniel Levin to give us a behind-the-scenes look at his book Proof of Life — which dives deep into the underground industry of war where everything is for sale, including arms, drugs, and even people. A fast-paced thriller wrapped in a memoir, Proof of Life is a cinematic must-read by an author with access to a world that usually remains hidden.

About the Book:

Daniel Levin was in his New York office when he got a call from an acquaintance with an urgent, cryptic request to meet in Paris. A young man had gone missing in Syria. No government, embassy, or intelligence agency would help. Could he? Would he? So begins a suspenseful, shocking, and at times brutal true story of one man’s search to find a miss­ing person in Syria over twenty tense days. Levin, a lawyer turned armed-conflict negotia­tor, chases leads throughout the Middle East, meeting with powerful sheikhs, drug lords, and sex traffickers in his pursuit of the truth.

In Proof of Life, Levin dives deep into the shadows—an underground industry of war where everything is for sale, including arms, drugs, and even people. He offers a fasci­nating study of how people use leverage to get what they want from one another and of a place where no one does a favor without wanting something in return, whether it’s immediately or years down the road.

A fast-paced thriller wrapped in a memoir, Proof of Life is a cinematic must-read by an author with access to a world that usually remains hidden.

RSVP HERE

Click here to purchase this book through WHC’s Mitzvah Mall.

About the Author:

Daniel Levin spent his early years as the son of a diplomat in the Middle East and in Africa, which exposed him to many cultures, languages, and religions. Following his law studies and an initial academic career, he has spent the last twenty-five years working with governments and development institutions worldwide, focusing on economic development and political reform through financial literacy, political inclusion, and constitutional initiatives. He is also engaged in track 3 diplomacy and mediation efforts in war zones.

Daniel Levin has worked with think tanks on novel constitutional models and on anti-corruption and political reform initiatives. Over the past ten years, he has helped monarchies as they consider ways to increase the democratic legitimization of their monarchic systems. Daniel Levin is currently a member of the board of the Liechtenstein Foundation for State Governance. He is married with two children, and lives outside New York City.

Presented in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.